Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Sandakan : The Family Life Office of the Sandakan Diocese organized
the first ever Teacher Training Program (TTP) on the Billing Ovulation Method (BOM) from 24th to
26th June at the Sandakan Diocesan Meeting Room.

The 3-day training program was conducted and facilitated by Mr. Chan Lek
Lim a prominent speaker both at National and International level on the Billing Ovulation Method who is also
the President of the National Fertility Awareness Service of Malaysia ( NFASM
).

Rt. Rev. Julius Dusin Gitom, Bishop of Sandakan in his
welcoming address took the opportunity to express his gratitude
to the honourable speaker Mr. Chan for his generosity in accepting the invitation to share his experience with the people of Sandakan.He said, "It is in deed a golden opportunity to be exposed and learn new things especially when it’s
related to your service and to the church. I believe you will gain much from this training. Enjoy yourselves and get as much as you can so
that you may benefit from it not only for yourself but to others as well."

27 participants from the 4 Parish Family Life Ministry across the diocese and
Commission members, two FSIC Religious Sisters and five couples participated in the training.

Mr. Chan conducted private consultations to 5 childless
couples a night before the training program proper on 23rd
June. The 3-day session began with an introduction on fertility and updates on
issues related to fertility followed by in-depth study of BOM and ended with an
assessment.

Some points presented on the requirement of
fertility or contributing facts for human fertility:

1. Satisfactory
Ovulation with normal hormone level

2. Health
and good quality of sperm

3. Adequate mucus and healthycervix

4. Healthy
and patent Fallopiantube

5. Healthy endometrium and

6. Harmonious relationship between husband and wife

Mr. Chan also mentioned on the
possibility of infertility and difficulty in
conceiving :

One of the participants shared that the knowledge he
gained from the progam is an eye opener for him especially on the issues of immorality
of the contraceptives and the wonders of the natural method.

Eva Siruno, the
Director of the Family Life Office of Sandakan reminded all participants to be
good servants of the Lord. She said, "As authentic servants of the Lord
we need to be passionate and be patient. Dealing with people could be very challenging but then God’s has gifted us with a
humble heart, granted through our prayers. I believe that keeping others
privacy is also our priorityas we share and exchangeknowledge with them."

God has given men and women a complete structure with
parts called body and its wonderful natural functions beyond the understanding
of human being. Learning and experiencing knowledge through fertility is one way
of promoting the value of God’s gift in
each marriage. The union between husband
and wife calls for joint responsibility. Respecting others fertility leads to mutual trust, growth in love and care, promotinga harmonious and happy
life as a family.

Participants from Lahad Datu

Participants from Sandakan

Participants from Tawau

Participants from Telupid

Eva Siruno, on behalif of the Diocese presented a souvenir to Mr. Chan who has facilitated and presented a
very informative and important input to the participants.

Monday, June 27, 2016

Sandakan : The Star of Yahweh Covenant Community (SYCC) of St. Mary’s
Cathedral held a fellowship for the MRSM and Sekolah Seni students of
SMK Elopura Sandakan on Sunday 19thJune 2016. SYCC is responding to the call of Christian hospitality, always extending a hand to welcome others into the fold.

This time around, SYCC shared about ‘The Extraordinary Jubilee Year
of Mercy,” the message of which has a great impact on the students. The
talk was facilitated by Bro. Michael Lai, an elder of the community. He
emphasized on the importance of the word ‘Mercy.’

Pope Francis stressed that the Holy Year of Mercy is to respond to the world’s need for a
‘revolution of tenderness’ from which ‘justice and all the rest derives.’ We are used to hearing bad news, cruel news filled with violence and to even horrifying atrocities which
offend the name and life of God as it contradicts with the teaching of the faith. Bro. Michael also explained the three themes in the document; First, The Understanding of God’s Mercy, second is To perform Pilgrimage as an ‘impetus conversion’ and third is Justice and Conversion.

STAY (Star of
Yahweh Covenant Community Youth) conducted a very touching and
moving activity. First, it was about the conversation with Jesus entitled
“Jesus’ online.” Each student was given paper notes as if Jesus was texting to them through whatsapp and they had to respond to every
question given by Jesus personally. Many were touched and moved to tears by the
short movie shown as they reflected on their own personal experiences.

The activity was adapted from the SYD-4 (4th Sabah Youth Day) program in Tawau from 6th to 10th
June 2016 where the STAY members participated in the event. Indeed, the sharings from the students were very encouraging and
taught them a lot about being merciful to others especially to their own family
members.

There were also games for students to strengthen their relationship bond and a praise and worship session to uplift their spiritual growth.

The Kitchen Team

Prior to the activity proper, lunch was served for the students and members of the community. This get together connects people, the students and SYCC members. The community is committed to share God's love and mercy and reaching out to the students who are away from home has always been the commitment of the community.The Year of Mercy is an invitation - an invitation to love, kindness and unbounded
generosity. "Encountering mercy means encountering God which can transform your
life, your relationships, your work, and your ability to embrace and experience
all of life." (Pope Francis)

Monday, June 20, 2016

Tawau : The 5th and final day, 10th June 2016 began with Morning Prayer followed by group sharing. Each member
in the group was requested to draw their 'Mission' focused on mercy and share the meaning of their drawing within their groups.

Archbishop John Wong in his homily related how Elijah was commanded by God to return from where he came from. He urged the young people to go back to their places and set forth their mission, remember always to shine in the Lord by holding on to His word of life.

The prelate said, 'Dear young people of God, bring back all the experiences you have gained to your own parish and be the light and salt to others. Serve the Lord with the talent that He has granted you. Share that precious gift with others.'

He advised the young people to learn to listen to God even in the midst of their busyness. He asked them to follow the right path that the Lord has set forth for them and continue to seek the face of God.

In conclusion, he reminded them not to forget to read the Word of God, partake in the Eucharistic Celebration and obey His commandments and go forth to share the Good News.

After the Mass, Fr. Sunny Chung, the Spiritual Advisor of SYD4 expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all involved in the preparation and implementation of the event. He said, 'without your support and teamwork, there will be no SYD4. You
have indeed contributed tremendously; your time, energy and talent in ensuring that the event take off as planned. On behalf of our team, we sincerely thank you for your full commitment. I cannot mention each one of you here but let God reward you for your generous contribution.'

Bishop Julius then expressed his gratitude to
Msgr. Nicholas Ong who had so willingly accepted the challenge as the host for the event. Had Msgr. Nicholas declined in the first place then we would not assemble here in Holy Trinity Tawau. He thanked all involved for a job well done.

The prelate said, 'I should say that the event as a whole was a success. However, there are areas that can be improved. It is a blessing for Holy Trinity to host this event. There are some physical development carried out to cater to the needs of the event. The structure shall remain here for the benefits of the local parishioners.'

Another memorable moment was when some 200 young people responded to the call to serve in the church in the priestly and religious life. They received the blessing from Archbishop John Wong witnessed by the whole congregation.

Before announcing the next host, tokens of
appreciation were presented to the rector of Holy Trinity Parish Tawau, the
Bishop of the Diocese of Sandakan and to the Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu from
the Main Organizing Team.

It was announced that SYD5 will be jointly hosted by Papar and Limbahau Parishes in 2020. Bishop Julius handed the banner over to Archbishop John Wong.

The 5-day event has indeed in its own way touched the hearts of the young people to be more open to others, accepting each another as what they are, caring and sharingand above all journeying together in faith.

There was a mixture of joy and sadness among the participants at the closing of the
event. May the transformation gained by
each of them bear fruits and make them the bearers of Christ's light and hope for others.

CATHOLIC TUBE

MSGR. NICHOLAS ONG SUNDAY HOMILY

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PASTORAL OFFICEJalan Puncak, 90000. P O Box 2039, 90723 Sandakan, Sabah, MalaysiaTel : (089) 224623, (089) 217071 Fax : (089) 218623email: dospo1@gmail.com, diocesesandakan@yahoo.com,This blog is created to disseminate information of the Diocese of Sandakan which covers the Parish of St Mary’s Cathedral Sandakan, St Martin Telupid, St Dominic Lahad Datu and Holy Trinity Tawau. The Pastoral Team of the Diocese of Sandakan will endeavor to update you on the latest and upcoming events of the Diocese. We have also established links to various related websites for to visit.